CHILD'S ADVICE TO PARENTS.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 17625, 30 November 1922, Page 2

CHILD'S ADVICE TO PARENTS.

"How Parents and Children Can Improve Themselves" is the title of an entertaining series of articles printed in the "Manchester Guardian," and written by Catherine W. Alexander at the age of fourteen. In contrast to the fancies of Daisy Asliford (who wrote "The YoUng Visitors") this writing reveals the critical and reforming thoughts of a child. The following are extracts: — I expect ycu would like to know what sort of literature to give your children. When they are first beginning to learn to read, don't give them "So-Fat and New-mew," it makes them sentimental at once. You ought to give them either lively, easy books, or else dry, dull ones which won't work on their brains. Up till about thirteen they ought to read books like "Masterman Eeady," "What Katy Did," "Mopsa the Fairy," "Norse Fairy Tales," and children's adventure and school books. Over the age of thirteen they could begin reading a few exciting novels such as "The Red Cockade," "Vice Versa," "The Scarlet Pimpernel," "She," and others. Over fourteen children ought to begin to read Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte, Mrs Gaskell,, Frances Burney, and others of these famous authoresses' books. They can gradually go on to Thackeray, Hudson, Scott, Trollope, Stevenson, and to all the great writers. Children over' twelve ought to very much enjoy John Buchan and the lighter books of Arnold Bennett, such as "Hugo," "The Grand Babylon Hotel," and "The City of Pleasure." ■ From an early age your children should be taught to sew and to darn, also to be able to bath themselves, and do gardening a little, and a little sweeping and cooking, and to do their own hair and shoes. A great thing that heaps of children lack is being able to cut their right-hand nails easily. Do not put curl-papers on your girl's hair; it makes her look very common and conceited. See at once if you child has bad teeth, and take precautions. Give her a wire at once if necessary so that her teeth Will have time to right themselves* And if she has bad eyes do not delay in getting her spectacles, as her eyes will daily grow worse otherwise. I should let your children read the newspaper from* infancy, as it takes a long time for the modern generation to begin to take an interest in the welfare of their country. But don't encourage them to read "Personals" or deaths and marriages and births, and especially all the divorces and bankruptcies/and the murders and "News in Brief. . . ." Parents make great mistakes sometimes in the treatment of their children. When they are naughty or slightly vex their parent, the parent often gets furiously angry all in a minute, which naturally makes them very despicable, and their children despise them for tlieir temper accordingly. What they should do is to be gentle and talk quietly and firmly to the rebellious child, who will listen quietly in a way which it would never do otherwise.